Healthy Easy Banana Bread Recipe

I came across this on a google search and boy it is delicious.  Of course, I modified it a little bit because the original recipe had nutmeg in it and we did not care for that on the first attempt.  I also added pecan pieces to it and I make sure I put in at least the amount of bananas that the recipe calls for or just a little more.

In the original recipe, it stated a 50 to 55 minute baking time at 350 degrees.  Unfortunately, I found that I had to bake it for almost 60 minutes.  Of course that could be my oven.  So please experiment with what works best in your kitchen.

This is a very healthy recipe made without any oil or all the other bad stuff that people tend use in baking.  We used Mott's Apple Sauce (NO sugar added) and it did not have high fructose corn syrup.  We try to avoid high fructose corn syrup as much as we can. 

So here is the easy recipe.

Easy Thanksgiving Recipes Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole
Easy Thanksgiving Recipe

With the Thanksgiving Holiday getting close, I wanted to share a favorite and relatively easy recipe of mine, sweet potato casserole.  Actually, I usually don't wait until Thanksgiving to make this recipe because it is good at any time of the year!  Sweet Potatoes are delicious and a healthy food to eat!

I think this recipe may have come from a friend but I'm not 100% certain how I got it.  I do know that the first time I had ever had Sweet Potato Casserole, I was in North Carolina.  It was then that I fell in love with this delicious and easy dish!

Easy Thanksgiving recipes are always welcomed when you are preparing a Thanksgiving Dinner.  For me, I like the easy and simple recipes.  When they get too complicated, I usually just don't make the dish.

Sweet Potato Casserole (Don's Version)

Ingredients - Casserole

• Approximately 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (2 - 4 sweet potatoes)
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 Cup Melted Butter
• 1 Cup Regular Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 bag miniature marshmallows 

Quinoa, Burger Crumbles And Veggie Dish

Here is a recipe of something I made for a meal.  It was just one of those moment creative dishes.  While it is nothing fancy, it did taste very good and was simple to make.  You can alter it in any form that you like, but to give some framework, here is the recipe for Quinoa, Burger Crumbles and Veggie Dish.

Quinoa, Burger Crumbles And Veggie Dish

Ingredients:

• 2 Ears of Sweet Corn
• 1 Green Pepper
• 1 Yellow Squash
• 1 Zucchini
• 1 Broccoli Head
• 1 Bag of Burger Crumbles (Morningstar)
• 1 Cup of Quinoa
• 1/2 Cup of Parmesan Cheese (if desired)
• Spices (such as Pepper, Celery Salt or whatever you choose)

Directions:

Easy Red Pepper Hummus Recipe

Recently I got the Blendtec Mini Twister Jar and I love it!  I was thinking about getting the NutriBullet but since I already had the Blendtec, the Mini Twister jar made perfect sense.

I love hummus but when you buy the commercial stuff in the store it usually has garlic or onions in it.  Those two items make me sick.  These days it is getting harder and harder to find food without garlic and onion.

I adapted the recipe from what was displayed in the book that came with the Mini Twister Jar.  If you want to put garlic in it, feel free or to try other variations.  This is just the starting point.

Red Pepper Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 TBSP olive oil (maybe some better oils to use)
• 1 TBSP Fresh Lemon Juice 
• 1 TBSP Tahini
• 7.5 oz Garbanzo Beans
• 1 to 2 TBSP liquid from Garbanzo Beans
• 1 Cup Red Pepper (I cut a red pepper in half)
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
  

Directions:

• Add all ingredients into the Mini Twister Jar and place the lid on the jar.  
• While holding the lid on the twister jar, Select the Salsa/Dips/Batters button
• Turn the twister lid counter-clockwise during blending

I had never used Tahini paste before so I went on Amazon and found this product which seemed pretty inexpensive.  Two jars were around $10 if I remember correctly.  The paste tasted good and seemed to be just sesame seed paste with nothing else. It worked great for this hummus recipe.

I had one good-sized lemon and from that lemon, I got about 6 to 8 TBSP of fresh lemon juice just by squeezing it in a little handheld juicer.

Olive oil may not be the best, but use whatever you prefer and see how it tastes.  The cayenne pepper was very strong, but it gave it a good kick.  The original recipe called for roasting the red pepper, but I did not see any need to do this and red bell pepper is very healthy for you.  It is full of phytochemicals.

I love Blendtec and it works very well.  This little mini twister jar is ideal.  It is the right size and easy to clean out especially with the special spatula that came with it.

I don't think I would want to make more hummus than this recipe made because I want to keep it fresh.

Since it was so easy to make, it wouldn't take much for me to make some more at any time.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 1/4/16 by Don Shetterly

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Vegetarian Green Bean Tater Tot Casserole

I'm sure I am not the only one that has created this dish and most likely there are a million and one ways to create it.  This recipe is my version that I like.  Of course, each person is free to make it the way they enjoy it, but at least this gives you a starting point.

It is a relatively simple dish to make.  Most of the recipes out there that I saw used some type of cream soup.  However, in my version, I use gravy that I make and I think it tasted very good this way.  So here's the recipe for Vegetarian Green Bean Tater Tot Casserole made Don's way!

Ingredients:

1 bag of MorningStar Burger Crumbles
About 1 pound or so of green beans
About 8 ounces of cheddar cheese
1 - 32 ounce bag of tater tots.
2 to 3 cups of gravy

Food Based Healing & Smoothies

In May, I went to a Qigong Seminar at the Orlando Convention Center put on by Jeff Primack from the Supreme Science Qigong Center. It was a great seminar and one particular part of it was about food based healing. I will be honest in saying that sometimes I'm a little skeptical about these food based healing/nutritional programs. There are just too many out there claiming that their nutrition concepts and their products are by far the best thing since oxygen was created. With that said, this presentation was not "radical" statements but more down to earth, logically conceived thoughts. So it had my attention. We had considered "juicing" and "juice plus" and the "green drink" before this but were not completely sold on the concept of these things. Plus they were processed products being sold by some company that was getting rich off the concept. I really have a problem with that when it comes to my health.

If you go to qigong.com you will see much of the information that he presented in the seminar on this topic. In a nutshell, it is taking vegetables, fruits and herbs with the use of a high powered 3 hp blender to make smoothies. As he explained, this is not the same thing as juicing or taking supplements or other products. By using raw vegetables, fruits and herbs intact, you get the most benefit because of the phytochemicals that are located within the skins, stems, seeds, etc. The parts that most in our society discard as waste is where the true health benefits of these food items are located. Juicing removes these things and so while you are getting fresh juice, you're missing out on some of the greatest naturally occurring compounds for healthy living. Even all of these supplements, health candies and foods and all the other products on the market, do not have what you can find in raw foods. Processing does nothing positive to foods and so with the 3 hp blender, you're able to keep the foods intact but masticated enough where your body can easily and quickly digest them. I know I'm glossing over the fine details here but if you go to the link at the beginning of the paragraph, you'll see the details behind what I'm saying.

One of the biggest things that got everyone's attention towards the end and had people hysterically laughing was when he said if you do the smoothies every day, you will have big bowel movements (increased digestion). Amongst the gasps in the audience, he assured people that this was a good thing because it removes toxins from our body. Someone asked him how long that took, and he said when he first started doing the smoothies, it was the very next day. We found the same to be true basically. You do not necessarily need to go out and purchase things like Activia to do what natural foods from the grocery store can do for you.

Another thing he shared was that in his smoothie recipe book, there are many recipes that help people recover from all kinds of health conditions. Not only does it help but many people have reversed cancer, diabetes, heart conditions, and so on. I have no way to prove that but he has stated that many people have shared with him how the smoothies not only helped them but it reversed these serious conditions.

The thing I like about this is I am not buying some supplement that has been processed from someone that is getting rich from me. There is just too much of that out there and every time I see it, my eyebrows raise a few feet in the air. There are many claims made and there are many getting rich off of those claims. I have tried these things too and again, I'll just ask that you really and truly consider the "marketing" of these so called cures.

The smoothies are simple. It is pretty simple to cut things up and prepare. We use a recipe that is just for general health and includes the following items - cucumber, avocado, beet, fuji apple, corn, strawberries, lime, cilantro, rosemary, basil, mint, Goji berries, distilled water. Of course if you want the exact amounts, the recipe and more information can be found in the Smoothie Formulas book by Jeff Primack. Almost all of these products we buy in our local grocery store so it isn't like we have to purchase anything real expensive from any one person. The Goji berries are the only thing we have to go to a health store to buy.

Like I said, it isn't easy to prepare this and only takes a few minutes. We purchased the Blendtec 3 hp blender which isn't cheap but it grinds all of this up into a smoothie. Most regular blenders just wouldn't have the power to do that. We drink around 20 ounces of it a day or sometimes more depending upon the quantity made that day.

When we considered doing this, I thought I was going to not want to eat anything else after drinking that much smoothie. I was surprised that within a short time, I am hungry and have a strong desire to eat. This may be due to the fact that the food is so highly digestible in this state that the body absorbs it quickly.

If you do these smoothies, you won't be disappointed and it will not take long for you to see the results. Plus, there is no way I would normally eat all of these ingredients every day. I had never eaten beets or avocados before in my life. The herbs, especially the mint, helps give it a good flavor along with the strawberries. We're learning how to make it so that it tastes a little better to us as well but it has become part of our daily routine.

So, don't just take my word for it that it has helped the both of us greatly, but check it out and read more about it. And if you are wanting to enhance the health of your life, try it out for yourself and see if you don't see the benefits from it!

And NO, I do not make one cent on recommending this or writing this post. I am just doing it because we are pleased with the results. In fact, we purchased our blender directly through the online Target store website and got it a little cheaper plus had free shipping. I would recommend though that you purchase the smoothie recipe book or other information he has so you'll understand what you are doing better.

Just a final side note - the blender for this works in making all kinds of things. It is so simple to use, clean and it will blend anything together you put in it. It is an amazing blender!

For Further Reading: Smoothies, A Year Later

Easy Veggies Rice and Cheese Recipe

This is one of my favorite things to make!  It is simple and easy and nutritious.  The raw taste of the veggies just brings it alive.  Outside of cutting up some vegetables and steaming them and the rice, it is not a hard thing to make.  It takes very little time. So, here's what I do with my recipe and you of course can create it in whatever way works for you.

Sometimes I use a veggie chopper to chop the vegetables up, but tonight I just cut them up.  It all depends upon what you have and what you want to do. The veggie chopper really makes cutting vegetables up so easy.  There is no right way or wrong way to do this. 

Cook time for the veggies and rice was around 45 to 50 minutes, but of course that depends upon your steamer.

You can use whatever vegetables you wish to use.  Your favorite veggies are the ones that work the best.  Tonight, I used broccoli,  cauliflower, carrots, green pepper, red pepper, and snow peas.

Vegetable Lasagna

While I don't often share recipes online, this one is a recipe that is is appropriate I think for this blog. It is my first attempt at making Vegetable Lasagna and it came out very good! Below is how I made it but feel free to add or take away any of the vegetables. These are vegetables that we like.

When I was looking for online recipes, I noticed that most of them only had a couple of vegetables in them. I wanted lasagna full of vegetables. Granted, we had more vegetables than I could get in the pan, but we'll just eat the rest of those. They don't go to waste in our house.

And of course, this recipe has no meat in it but it does have cheese. It is a great vegetarian dish and it makes a lot! I have a big, glass lasagna dish that was very full by the time I got everything in there. Hope you enjoy it! See recipe below.

Vegetable Lasagna - Don's Way

Bake Covered at 375 for 50 minutes, let sit for a few minutes before serving

Ingredients:

Brocolli (2 cups chopped)
Cauliflower (approx 2 cups)
Cucumber (1)
Zucchini (1)
Spinach (2 cups chopped)
Carrots - string or thinly sliced
Pepper – Red (1)
Pepper – Yellow (1)
Pepper – Green (1)
Green Beans (couple of hand fulls)
Celery (1 or 2 cups maybe)
Yellow Squash (1)
Black Olives – Sliced – 2 small cans
Basil (small bunch to taste)
Parsley (small bunch to taste)
Salt (to taste if desired)
2 Eggs
4-6 cups Mozzarella Shredded Cheese
1-2 cups Parmesan Cheese
16 oz Ricotta Cheese
2 Jars Barilla Marinara Sauce
1 box Barilla already cooked Lasagna Noodles

Directions:

1) Chop up all vegetables and steam them until soft. 
2) Mix 2 eggs, ricotta, 2 cups Mozzarella, 1 cup parmesan together
3) In a large 9x13x3 inch lasagna pan
4) Spread 1 cup sauce on the bottom of the baking dish
5) Layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets
6) Layer 1/3 ricotta mixture, half the vegetables, 1 C Mozzarella, 1 C Sauce
7) Layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets
8) Layer 1/3 ricotta mixture, 1.5 Cups Sauce
9) Layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets
10) Layer remaining ricotta mixture, remaining vegetables, 1 C Sauce
11) Layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets - top with remaining sauce, 1 C mozzarella, Parmesan

Important:  

You most likely won't use all the vegetables in this.  I put a layer down of them (where it says half - half may be too much).  Even though it looks like you're not buying that much vegetables, more than likely you will have more than enough.  We usually just eat them with rice, and topped with cheese for another meal.


Note:  I use this Vegetable Chopper for things like this and it works great!



*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog

Vegetarian Crumble Stew By Don Shetterly

Vegetarian Crumble Stew
By Don

Here's a great recipe for some vegetarian stew made with burger crumbles.  It is nothing fancy and very simple to make.  If you're looking for something creative and easy to fix for a few meals or a bunch of friends, why not give this a try.

Here's the ingredients that I put into it, but you can put anything you like.  In fact, be creative and make it into something that fits your tastes.

• 1 Package of Burger Crumbles
• Several potatoes cut and diced (depending upon cooking pot size)
• 1 Package of carrots cut up and diced
• 2 Ears of corn with corn cut from the cob
• 1 Can of black beans with juice
• 1 Can of diced tomatoes
• Dried Lima Beans (amount depends upon cooking pot size)
• Dried Split Peas
• Dried Black Eyed Peas
• Spices like white pepper, ground mustard, basil, oregano, celery salt, salt

Not All Smoothies Are Equal

Some days I read stuff that comes through my social media feed and I do the eye roll.  Recently I read a post about using all kinds of different ingredients in your smoothies that I would really question.  Of course, it didn't take me long to see what company "was pushing" their products in the smoothies.

Maybe the ideas that these people are pushing have merit.  Unfortunately, if you started asking them questions about what each particular thing did and why they included it, I've got a feeling the answers would be shallow at best.  On top of that, I'm not so sure some of these things put in a blender and blended at high speed is necessarily a good thing.

On top of that, I saw "frozen fruit" or other similar types of ingredients being put into the blender.  Okay, if you just want to have something that tastes good, go ahead.  If you want your smoothie for healing abilities and nutrition, then it isn't the best thing.  Freezing foods changes and alters the chemical structure.

Trauma: Biological Connections

When you have lost the most basic biological connections you have in life, everything seems to lack the proper foundation. Many in our world go without these biological connections. I am not referring only to an absent father or a missing parent. This is much deeper than that.

One of those biological connections is to be wanted from birth. To be looked upon as something parents do not want is a recipe for disaster. Even if it is subtle and not intentional, this lack of connection has profound life-long effects. In my case, when I was a baby, my father was sick with a contagious illness. For some unknown reason to me, I was also in the hospital. My mother had to make a choice of either visiting my father or me but because of the contagious illness my father had, she could not visit both of us. For some reason, my mother chose to be near my dad while he recovered. Of course, I was so young that I don't remember the details but to this day, I feel the rejection. It has been a devastating event that has impacted me throughout my life.

Another biological connection I missed was having a father that was not there for me emotionally. My memories of him at an early age was an abusive and angry person. Saying he had a temper would have been a gross understatement. Emotionally he was numb to his own feelings and so there was no way he could connect with anyone in the family. With me being a highly sensitive person, it was a recipe for disaster in my life. My father's idea of emotions was found in his controlling, manipulative and abusive actions we were part of each day of our life.

The ultimate biological connection I missed was to be raped and violated sexually as a child. By the time I was five years old, I was introduced to a world of trauma. The trauma and abuse did not begin to stop until I moved to college. Once my father began to slow down on the daily abuse with me, my older brother picked up the pace. We were taught to hold these secrets within ourselves by reinforcement through physical, verbal and emotional abuse. My body did not know what normal was when it came to touch. Touch had been replaced by trauma. My body only knew that it was being violated at the whim of those who were my caretakers. Instead of showing me love and affection, my caretakers in life were the ones manipulating all that a young child holds sacred in this world. This affected me for many years to come and there is still not a day that goes by where the effects are not felt. The shame and guilt carried as a result of these acts was tremendous.

After I was hospitalized for paralysis, I suffered a harsh treatment from the family giving me the silent treatment. Even though this biological connection had been disrupted before in my life, this time is was permanent. Once again, having a family completely reject you through some of the most hate filled words of a letter was painful beyond imagination. The only way to survive this torment and trauma was cutting off all ties with them. Their silent treatment and manipulation was the final dagger to my heart. By silent treatment, I imply that unless you did as the family expected, you were the outcast. Various forms of the silent treatment were used to bring you back in line, if you did not come to your senses as the family would suggest.

Through each of these severed biological connections, I was forced into a world of trauma and banishment. Not having these connections, stole the foundations of my life from me. While I have worked to build the foundations later in my life, I find that it is extremely difficult. For when these things are missed, it is as if you are putting half baked bricks together without cement in building the walls of your life. There is no way that these walls can stand the test of time.

So with courage, determination and hard work, I have been able to deconstruct some of these walls and begin building up my own walls. It is neither an easy process or a fast one. Missing those biological connections so early in life has clouded my view of what others consider to be normal experiences. I continue to build the walls of my life replacing those missed biological connections with new experiences.

Anyone who has experienced these things in life, knows that the steps to healing are difficult and few really understand the process. In order to survive and grow in life, it becomes a necessary step of healing. The bumps and bruises along the way are painful but each time a block is added to the wall, there is cause for celebration and joy.


(Above Picture taken - (c) 12/05/06)

*Read other articles on Mind Body Thoughts Blog

Dairy Free Cream Of Chicken Soup

So today, I was making one of our favorite dishes and of course, the one ingredient I really need, I can't find.  Sure, I know the store sells Cream Of Chicken Soup, but everything we could find had onion and garlic in it (along with many other things I don't want).  Onion and garlic make me sick.  End of story.

I mean we looked all over in the area we live and every blasted food processor thinks that if it doesn't have onion and garlic in it, it ain't soup!   Ridiculous!   For someone that gets sick on onion and garlic, they are no friend of mine!

Anyway, I went searching and found a great recipe for this on MyWiseMom.com for a homemade, dairy free, cream of chicken soup.  I love that it is dairy free.  Now, you're talking my talk!

I made the soup tonight for the dish and it was so easy to make.  It tasted so good.  The only thing is, I poured a little too much spice in and well, that wasn't so good.  Next time, I'll cut back on them.

Suck It Up And Move On

Written By Don Shetterly

These words make my skin crawl with disgust for humanity.  When I see someone tell another person going through a difficult time to suck it up and move on, it saddens me.  Why on earth would you make this statement to anyone?

We all have our difficult moments and issues in our life.  Sometimes they are not easy to just move on to the next moment as if they didn't happen.  They are often complex and require little steps towards healing and moving on.

No one can tell another when they should move on.  If we have not walked in the shoes of another and we don't know what they are dealing with in their life.  In fact, even though it may appear to us that they are not moving on, they may, in fact, be making significant progress.  They may be taking big leaps when we cannot see it.

It is not up to us to be heartless and mean and uncaring to someone by telling them to suck it up and move on.  I believe this is about as low as you can get on being human.  Okay, there are other things much lower, but this ranks right down at the bottom of human consciousness.

Telling someone to suck it up means you're telling them to ignore what it is they are feeling or have experienced.  You're saying to those who are struggling that what they are going through does not matter.  Most likely how it makes you feel is more important than what they are going through at that moment.

When others are going through difficult moments, one of the worst things is to listen to people telling them to suck it up and move on.  In fact, that's a recipe for major health issues, mental health struggles like depression and anxiety and suicide.  It is a recipe for adding stress to your life and setting up moments in the future where you don't deal with things in a healthy way.

If you can't be there for the person with empathy and compassion, maybe the best thing to do is run along into the woods.  Perhaps it is a time for you to do some soul-searching about what it means to be human.  You're not helping anyone if you are making statements like this to others.  You're hurting them in ways you don't even understand.

(click to read the blog post)

The world needs those who are peaceful and loving.  We don't need more judgment and condemnation.  We need empathy and love, compassion and understanding.  The world needs us to show up for one another and help support each other as we walk through this journey of life.

Be human and stop telling others to suck it up and move on!  You'll be doing the world a big favor.  You will be impacting the world in a positive way.

Extend your arms of support to people.  Don't harm them more when they are facing difficult moments.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 12/21/17 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required in writing before any part of this blog is reprinted, reworded, transmitted or used in any format. 
• Feel free to share the blog post LINK and a brief summary.  

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Vegetable Lasagna

Here's my recipe for vegetable lasagna. Yes, this post is a little different but it is delicious food and well, that makes it great for the body!

When I make it, I put large quantities of chopped up vegetables. I use a vegetable chopper (click here to see picture). Although the one pictured appears to be for onions, we use it for just about everything and it makes cutting up veggies so much easier. I love this kitchen device.

Here's my recipe for Vegetable Lasagna. Add or subtract whatever veggies you want to put in it or ones that you might not like. The more vegetables, the better (at least in my view).

You'll have to play with the amount of vegetables that it will take and of course if I cut up too many vegetables for this, than we find another way to eat them up. Vegetables do not go to waste in our house!



Vegetable Lasagna

Bake at 375 covered for 50 minutes, removed cover and bake for 5 – 10 minutes more or until cheese melts. Let sit for a few minutes before serving

Ingredients:

· Broccoli (2 cups chopped)
· Zucchini
· Spinach (2 cups chopped)
· Carrots
· Pepper – Red
· Pepper – Yellow
· Pepper – Green
· Celery
· Yellow Squash
· Black Olives – Sliced – 2 small cans
· Basil
· Parsley
· Salt
· 2 Eggs
· 4-6 cups Mozzarella Shredded Cheese
· 1-2 cups Parmesan Cheese
· 16 oz Ricotta Cheese
· 2 Jars Barilla Marinara Sauce
· 1 box Barilla already cooked Lasagna Noodles


Directions

1) Chop up all vegetables and spices.
2) Melt 1 to 1.5 sticks of butter in a large skillet on high heat
3) Place vegetables in skillet
4) Cook vegetables until softened and cooked down
5) Mix 2 eggs, ricotta, 2 cups Mozzarella, 1 cup parmesan together
6) In a large 9x13x3 inch lasagna pan

· Spread 1 cup sauce on the bottom of the baking dish
· Layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets
· Layer 1/3 ricotta mixture, half the vegetables, 1 C Mozzarella, 1 C Sauce
· Layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets
· Layer 1/3 ricotta mixture, 1.5 Cups Sauce
· Layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets
· Layer remaining ricotta mixture, remaining vegetables, 1 C Sauce
· Layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets - top with remaining sauce, 1 C mozzarella, Parmesan



Blog Post & Images (c) 12/12/10 Don Shetterly - use by permission only

How To Conquer Pain With Ginger

I'm writing this because it is something that has worked for me.  I'm not trying to be a medical expert, so this is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice for you.  Please use it in the best possible way for yourself, but do so with medical advice if that applies to you.

I am a person that tries hard to never take prescription medications or over-the-counter pharmaceuticals and drugs.  It is the way I am.  I've basically been this way since I was a young kid where my dad would try to force everything down me that I didn't want to take.

Now, I'm not going to say that I never take anything, but if you come in my house, you will see very little medications anywhere.  I would have to go to the store to buy most things.  I do have a small bottle of Aleve that seems to last me forever.

Unfortunately, I still get physical pain even though I do a lot of mind-body work on myself.  Over-exertion, emotional stress or just plain old stress can create pain.  Lack of exercise can also bring about stress in me.  When the pain gets too intense, then I start looking for relief.

Keep in mind that I don't just grab a pain relief pill at the first chance I get.  I try to identify what is going on in my life that caused the pain and see if I can make corrections to alleviate it.  I work through breathing and mind-body guided movements applying the felt-sense concept so that I can move myself out of pain.  In other words, I try natural things available to all of us before I reach for something that will mask the pain.

When these things don't work or maybe I need an extra boost to the connection of the pain to the part of the mind body experience that is impacted, I reach for some ginger fire water that I make.  From my experience, it helps and it also helps reduce inflammation in my body which seems to be the culprit energizing the physical pain.

I know there are different ways you can do this, but I'm going to give you what I do.  Please let me know if you do something different.

My recipe is as follows:  (please note that these are approximations for quantities of ingredients).

Ingredients:

1. About .25 pounds of ginger (more or less) - cut into thin slices
2. Approximately 1 gallon of water
3. Large handful of Goji Berries (click link for high quality ones)

If you click the picture to the left, you will see the exact Goji Berries that I use.  They are high quality and we actually use some of these in our daily whole food smoothies.  If you purchase several packages at one time, you save money on shipping.  The Goji Berries give the ginger fire water a good taste.  Golgi berries are a superfood and they very healthy.  

I actually slice the ginger up into thinner pieces just so it can cook more thoroughly.  Place all of these in a large boiling pot and cover it with a lid.  Bring everything to a boil and then reduce heat to a steady boil for about an hour.  Once it is done, I let it cool and put it in quart glass canning jars which I store in the refrigerator.

When you need it,  just take about a cup and warm it up slightly in a pan on the stove and drink it.  It doesn't take much from what I can tell, but it sure helps me.

This is how I conquer pain with ginger.  I have seen it referred to as Fire Water and I will tell you that it does have a spicy kick to it.  I enjoy the smell of it as it is boiling and cooking.

This is what works for me on pain and if one cup isn't enough after a few hours, I'll have another cup.  I try not to overdo it but I think that I read a research study the other day where they were using ginger to help people with chronic pain.  I just cannot find the study now.

Do what is best for you and if you're taking medications, it is probably smart to check with your doctor to make sure they don't have any issues with you doing this.  I'm not a medical doctor, so I can't give you advice on your condition.  I'm just letting you know what I do in my own life.

Sometimes I think it affects my stomach and digestive system a little.  I have a sensitive system anyway, so that is the only precaution that I am aware of at this time.

You may also be interested to read a recent blog post on Chronic Pain Prolonged With Painkillers.

(click image to read)

Please comment below if you try this recipe and let me know how it worked.  I'm sure others would be interested in your experiences.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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My Healthy Green Tea Latte

A friend of mine introduced this delicious drink to me, and I thought I'd share it with those who read this blog.  I love this healthy green tea latte.

It is not difficult to make either.  I have a Nutribullet that I use which makes it super easy to do.  Best of all, it doesn't cost as much as a commercial latte beverage.

Now, I can't vouch for the specifics of the healthy part, but the ingredients I put into this are healthy in my mind, so I think it is something good.  The best part of it is that it doesn't have all that sugar that you would normally get in commercial beverages.

I'm really trying to cut back on sugar and by drinking this first thing in the morning, it helps me set my tastes and desires for food so I'm not wanting as much sugar.  Plus it feels soothing to me and I like that, because it helps me take the edge off of stress that seems to show up in a day.

Here's the ingredients

• 1 Coffee cup of Water
• 1 Handful of Cashews
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Royal Matcha Green Tea Powder
• Small amount of Cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon of Honey

Here's how I make it

1. Place the cashews, water, cinnamon and Matcha Green Tea Powder in the Nutribullet.
2. Grind everything up good.  I usually shake the Nutribullet container and then run it a few seconds more.
3. Place the mixture in a small sauce pan and add the honey. (Hint:  I put the honey in a spoon that I can leave in the pan and as the honey warms up, it comes out of the spoon.)
4. Warm the mixture up slowly for a few minutes, to the desired temperature
5. Pour it into your coffee cup and enjoy

I buy the organic raw cashews at Costco and they are much cheaper than if I buy them in Publix or a regular store.  The Royal Matcha Green Tea Powder comes from Dr. Mercola.   I use organic honey that I get at Target.

Of course, the Nutribullet I have is by far one of the best things I've ever bought.  Sure, I have my Blendtec blender that I use for whole food smoothies every day, but for things like this, the Nutribullet just cleans up easier.  It is less mess!  It is simple to use!

If you do your research on the Royal Matcha Green Tea, you'll see just how healthy and beneficial this is to your body.  It is the high end tea, but using a half teaspoon in this beverage recipe makes it not as expensive.

Thanks Marie for sharing this with me!

    

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Asleep To Feeling Pain In Our Body

Let's all go down to the river and party the night away.  Okay, I'm not sure why I wrote that this, but maybe it is more telling then I am aware of in this moment.  If you read the blog post on June 13, 2017, Are You Asleep?, you will see that Donnie struggles with this one.

Here's a part from Donnie's statement on the blog post Are You Asleep:     After all, he doesn't have time to deal with pains in his body.  There is just too much too accomplish.   His body is 100% pain free.  Unfortunately, that's a good sign of how asleep Donnie is.

We are so oblivious to pain in our bodies that even saying we are asleep is not a strong enough statement.  Of course, I'm sure you're probably eye-rolling me right now, wondering if I just fell off my rocker and hit my head on the floor.

Safe to say, I'm okay.  I didn't hit my head on the floor.

For a long time I was traveling every week and going almost nonstop.  I hardly felt pain in my body.  There was no time to feel it and if I felt it, it had to disappear because I could not function and do what was required of me.  Pain relievers were the go-to if that happened.

However, most of the time I didn't feel pain.  In fact, that's how most of us are.  We are oblivious to pain in our bodies, even though it is there.  Yes, even if you don't notice it, it is there.

How do I know this?  Well, when I finally get myself to stop or I go in for a deep healing session with Dr. Paul Canali, the first thing I'm asked to do is feel what is going on in my body.  Of course, one thinks that we know what is going on, but until you do this - much of it is hidden.  Let me repeat that - much of it is hidden.

The more you stop and notice, the more you'll exclaim like I do in a session, "Oh, I didn't know that was there."  We are so unconscious and disconnected that most of the time the pain (and the warning signs of the mind and body) go undetected.  We just fail to hear them because we are asleep.

They keep ratcheting up the alarm, and we keep dousing them with unconsciousness and other substances in our day.   Then when the alarm has gone as far as it can, the body gets our attention.  Usually by that point, things aren't good and require much more medical intervention than we would have had to do if we'd listened to the pain in the first place.

I had someone once tell me that they were sorry to hear I had pain.  I'm like, but everyone does - they just don't listen to it.  It is messages our bodies are trying to get through our asleep thick skulls.

Pain can be good if we do something conscious with it.  If we hide it, then we've inflicted a world of hurt on ourselves.  Rather than hiding it, the better thing to do is to go in and feel the pain.  Yep, I know - you've probably thought I've fallen again from my rocking chair.  Rest assured, I have not.

If pain is overwhelming, we want it gone.  That's human nature.  However, if you can find body work like what Dr. Paul Canali does, then you learn that by going into the pain,  you take control of it and transform it.  When you do, a whole new world opens up.

Is that easy?  NO IT IS NOT!  Is it good in the long run? YES IT IS.  Being asleep so much that you don't feel the pain is not a recipe for health and wellness.  Too much in our society is built around numbing the pain, rather than going in and interacting with the pain.  Too many health conditions are a result of not feeling the pain.

It is past time our world wakes up and begins to deal with pain in the right way.  First, we have to recognize it is there and feel it.  Once we've made it that far, then we need to go in and have a conversation with it through not only the mind, but through the felt sense of the body.  When we learn to interact with it in the body, that's when pain becomes our friend, rather than our foe. 

Make sure you check out the next part in this 11 part series

 Part 11 is "Asleep By Happy Thoughts"

 

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Naturally Reverse Osteoporosis With Cucumbers

It probably is no secret on this blog if you have been reading it for some time, that I really like what Jeff Primack with Qigong.com has to say about food based healing. It is important to note that we've been doing his General Health Smoothie Recipe for almost two years and have seen positive results.

Here is a video about how cucumbers can help reverse osteoporosis through natural foods. We all tend to think first about what pill, medication or medical procedure we can take rather than thinking about foods that are natural and have very healing properties to them.

Cucumbers are alkaline which help to alkalize our blood from all the acidic things we eat. Our bodies need a pH of 7.35. Things like coffee (pH = 5), diet Coke (pH = 2.8), fruits and vegetables (pH =9 or 10), along with things that have more vitamins and minerals tend to have a higher pH or are more alkaline. Wheat and flour products along with other things that are acidic cause our pH to go down. In order for the body to counteract this, it starts pulling calcium from our bones. Of course when you don't have enough calcium in the bones, you end up with osteoporosis. But to get all the information on this, check the video out.

Most of us usually tend to eat the part of the vegetable or fruit that does not have all the good vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytochemicals in them. Things like the seeds, stems, stalk and skins of the food items are usually the highest in these things and most of the time we throw those parts away. In addition, cooking, freezing or other processing methods denigrate our food items to just something to eat rather than having all the wonderful healing properties they had when they cam out of the ground.

Take a moment to view the video and then check out all the other videos he has on his YouTube page. You can also check out Jeff Primack's website at www.qigong.com for more information.



Further Reading
1) Oprah And The Vegan Challenge, Part 1
2) Food Based Healing Smoothies
3) QiGong.com








Blog Post & Images (c) 2/21/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Real Answers Have Always Been Within

To biologically, energetically, physically, emotionally, chemically, neurologically, and genetically change ourselves and to stop living by the unconscious affirmation that competition, strife, success, fame, physical beauty, sexuality, possessions, and power are the be-all and end-all in life is when we break from the chains of the mundane. I fear that this so-called recipe for ultimate success in life has kept us looking outside of ourselves for answers and true happiness, when the real answers and true joy have always been within.  (Page 300, Breaking The Habit Of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza)

From The Kitchen

Couscous Veggie Delight
© 12/15/08 Don Shetterly

A great vegetable and couscous dish.

Needed:
Large Glass Baking Dish
1 Box Couscous
2 10oz Cans of Cream Of Celery Soup (more or less to your liking)
2 (15oz) Cans Black Eyed Peas
6 oz container of Spicy Alfalfa & Radish Sprouts
11 oz Diced Squash
3 Medium Sized tomatoes
1 Green Pepper
Half of Celery Stalk
1 Head of Broccoli
1 Head of Cauliflower
2 Cups Cheddar Cheese


Directions
1. Cut up all vegetables (Cauliflower, Broccoli, Celery, Pepper, and Squash) and steam until softened.
2. Prepare couscous as directed on the box
3. Layer couscous in the bottom of the dish
4. Drain black eyed peas and layer over the top of the couscous
5. Dice tomatoes and layer on top of the black eyed peas
6. Spread the alfalfa sprouts on top of the tomatoes
7. Spread the Cream Of Celery Soup on top of the Alfalfa Sprouts
8. Spread steamed vegetables on top of the soup
9. Place the cheese on the top and spread out evenly
10. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes.


Note:
You could substitute about any vegetables that you like for any of these. This just happened to be what was available and things that we liked.

This recipe in these quantities is enough for a baking dish the size of 4 Liters. Adjust accordingly to your needs or freeze the leftovers.


Servings: Makes probably at least 8 servings.